Kind of funny. I went to a Daily game just now and this is the board... I'm playing Nc3, unlike the regular London's Nd2 
Queen's Pawn opening, Zukertort! (bless you)
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after that, e3 to get my other Bishop in the game
delcai007 wrote:
That's interesting since the main difference between the London and the Jobava London is that the Jobava puts the knight on c3, blocking the c pawn. In the London, the Knight goes on d2. I'm not sure why I started doing that but I've done it in most of games. I thought about changing that but it is what I'm used to ...
That's why I'm recommending the French - it'll give you an opening where you get used to using your c-pawn.
This way you learn twice as much - you learn how to play *without* your c-pawn in the opening (when you play the Jobava London as White), and you learn how to play *with* your c-pawn in the opening (when you play the French as Black).
More bang for your buck.
I believe it's good to try different pawn structures than what you're used to. This is how you learn new ideas and discover new tabiyas.
Okay then... the French it is. Especially as Black where I still have very little compared to what I have as White. I will check that out ASAP.
delcai007 wrote:
This morning, I played, as Black, what is close to my regular Opening as White (London Jobava London), but I looked up London Defense... no such thing.
That was really good attacking chess for 800! After learning so many openings, you realize a lot of the ideas all blend together more or less
Hey thanks! I was a little proud of that game and that's mostly why I put it here tbh
That GM Smirnov video is a great introduction to the French. Lots of core ideas explained there.
I'm watching right now... it's great, i agree. And he's funny... At one point, he says, "Believe it or not, White has already lost... I don't really understand it myself."
I'm really good at losing completely winning positions! Funny learning experience, I had no idea how to get out of that
gambitnotablunder wrote:
I'm really good at losing completely winning positions!
That's me, even more so, and that's why I do realize that studying openings at my level can't be mainly about memorizing lines. Otherwise, I'd be better off just practicing... since most of my losses are from looking at a board and not understanding what's going on... read that "blunders".
I really like what I heard Smirnoff say, about the French Defense, "The crucial thing is not to memorize lines. It's to understand what Black is trying to do."
I know you don't want to rethink common positions every time you see them... you remember the best move and play it. But that's not going to help you once the middle game starts... I realize that.
So it won't happen overnight...there's no substitute for experience, but I think I'm probably laying a decent foundation here. And I'm enjoying it. It's interesting. Challenging. And I'm getting a little better every day, not least of all from the advice I've gotten here the last few days. It's appreciated.
Jul 24, 2025
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#96
I understodd and then I remember. It helps you to remember. Igor Smirnov is great in positional explanation+attacking which are impirtant. Search up in youtube “10 chess positional rules you will ever need” and it will pop up from Igor.
delcai007 wrote:
So it won't happen overnight...there's no substitute for experience, but I think I'm probably laying a decent foundation here. And I'm enjoying it. It's interesting. Challenging. And I'm getting a little better every day, not least of all from the advice I've gotten here the last few days. It's appreciated.
Awesome to hear.
Now you just need to choose a defensive setup for Black against d4/c4/irregular openings (usually the same type of setup will work against all of these, more or less) - and your repertoire will be complete.
Again, I recommend a setup that has a different pawn structure from the Jobava London and from the French (for maximum learning potential)- but that's up to you. King's Indian Defense is an option. Slav is another. Or, I think you mentioned the Dutch, which is also an option.
The thing about developing a repertoire with different pawn structures is - it might feel harder to learn all these varied ideas (rather than trying a "universal" setup that you play all the time, with both colors) ... but over time, your strength and understanding as a player will grow much more, from all the different positions you are exposing yourself to.
It's kind of a double-edged sword. Harder, in a way. But more beneficial.
MaetsNori wrote:
delcai007 wrote:
So it won't happen overnight...there's no substitute for experience, but I think I'm probably laying a decent foundation here. And I'm enjoying it. It's interesting. Challenging. And I'm getting a little better every day, not least of all from the advice I've gotten here the last few days. It's appreciated.
Awesome to hear.
Now you just need to choose a defensive setup for Black against d4/c4/irregular openings (usually the same type of setup will work against all of these, more or less) - and your repertoire will be complete.
Again, I recommend a setup that has a different pawn structure from the Jobava London and from the French (for maximum learning potential)- but that's up to you. King's Indian Defense is an option. Slav is another.
The thing about developing a repertoire with different pawn structures is - it might feel harder to learn all these varied ideas (rather than trying a "universal" setup that you play all the time, with both colors) ... but over time, your strength and understanding as a player will grow much more, from all the different positions you are exposing yourself to.
It's kind of a double-edged sword. Harder, in a way. But more beneficial.
I second this. 1.d4 d5 2. c4 can lead into the benko right? I forget
It
I recommend the French Defense, for you.
My reasoning is that I see you tend to avoid using your c-pawn to attack your opponent's d4/d5 central square - even when sometimes that c-pawn move is called for.
That's interesting since the main difference between the London and the Jobava London is that the Jobava puts the knight on c3, blocking the c pawn. In the London, the Knight goes on d2. I'm not sure why I started doing that but I've done it in most of games. I thought about changing that but it is what I'm used to and I like that the Jobava is less common (someone called it "weird") and that it's considered more aggressive.